Body found in Crawford County landfill identified as missing teen

By Jim Woods
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Updated Apr 27, 2018 at 11:44 PM

MOUNT GILEAD — The body of Skylar Bentley, 14, was identified Wednesday morning as the individual found in the Crawford County landfill, the Richland Source reported, citing a press release from the Mount Gilead Police Department.

The body was recovered from the Crawford County landfill on Tuesday in connection with an investigation being conducted by police in Mount Gilead.

Rumpke Waste & Recycling, which manages the landfill, said in a written statement that the company granted permission to the Crawford County sheriff's office to search the facility Tuesday.

The Crawford County sheriff's office said that they were acting on behalf of the Mount Gilead police in Morrow County. A number of other law enforcement agencies, including the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, assisted in the search.

The body was found around 4:45 p.m., Rumpke reported. The Crawford County Coroner's Office was called to the scene and the body was removed for an autopsy.

Bentley, of Mount Gilead, was reported missing as an endangered runaway, according to the Ohio attorney general's office website.

Bentley was last seen by family members at approximately 9 p.m. Sunday night as he was going to bed, police officials told the Richland Source. On Monday at about 8 a.m. his mother reported him missing.

While conducting the investigation, Mount Gilead police officers were made aware of video footage showing the boy on Mount Gilead Schools property at approximately 5:15 a.m., the Richland Source reported. The video showed him getting into a trash dumpster at the back of the school.

The Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum reported that Skylar's aunt, Tammy Kiss, said the missing teen's family was told by police that Bentley was seen on the surveillance video jumping into a trash bin but not seen climbing out before it was collected by a trash truck hours later.

Kiss told the newspaper that the family was notified by police about 6 p.m. Tuesday that the body found in the landfill was tentatively identified as the missing teen.

The Dispatch could not reach Kiss, the Mount Gilead Police Department, or other members of Bentley's family Tuesday night to confirm the report.

"This is a sad and tragic day," said Randy Broadright, Rumpke safety manager. "Our thoughts and prayers are with anyone touched by this tragedy. We appreciate the dedication and commitment of all law enforcement involved in the search."